The Co-op Food Stores

added 03/07/08

Set up a table outdoors, where late summer breezes are the perfect accent to a garden-inspired dinner.

Menu

Thick Tomato Soup with Fresh Sorrel
Sliced Steak with Mango Salsa
Sautéed Polenta
Fruit Tarte Tatin

Wine suggestions: Barolo, Zinfandel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thick Tomato Soup with Fresh Sorrel

Sorrel gives juicy, ripe tomatoes a zesty lemony turn. Add bread until the soup is the consistency you like. The soup is just as good the second day if you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers.

3 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
20 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
12 ripe tomatoes (about 4 1/2 lbs.), peeled* and coarsely chopped
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 bay leaf
12 fresh sorrel leaves, stemmed and cut into thin strips
4 to 6 thick slices soft-texture bread, cubed
Salt, to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese, for garnish, shaved or grated

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and green pepper and sauté until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, vegetable stock or water, bay leaf, and sorrel (saving a few pretty strands for later). Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Add bread cubes and salt, to taste. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes until the bread softens. Remove the bay leaf.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a garnish of bright sorrel ribbons and Parmesan cheese.

—Adapted from Babe’s Country Cookbook, by Dewey Gram

*Cook’s Note: To peel tomatoes, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Immerse the tomatoes for 30 seconds to loosen the skins. Remove tomatoes from the water. Peel and seed the tomatoes, and chop.

Sliced Steak with Mango Salsa

Cook’s Note: Golden polenta can be made a day or two ahead for convenience. Simply sauté the polenta pieces, grill the steak, place them on the plate, and spoon on the delicious salsa.

Salsa
3 mangoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
Salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tbs. olive or peanut oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Steak
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (3-lb) trimmed boneless sirloin steak, about 1 1/2inches thick

Prepare grill for cooking.

Make salsa: Combine fruit with a sprinkle of salt, red pepper flakes or cayenne, lime juice, and olive or peanut oil. Stir in cilantro, and set aside.

Grill steak: Combine cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of steak. Grill, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into thickest part of meat registers 145°F, about 18 to 20 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Spoon salsa on top of steak to serve.

Sautéed Polenta

4 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 cup quick cooking polenta
2 Tbs. chopped garlic
3 Tbs. butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Sprinkle the polenta into the water, reduce heat to low, and stir until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. In a small skillet, sauté garlic in butter for 1 minute. Fold garlic into the warm polenta and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the polenta into a 1/2-inch thick layer on a small sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours until firm.

To serve polenta: Cut the polenta into six pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a non-stick skillet. Sauté polenta pieces 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy. Blot on paper towels. Serve with steak and salsa.

—Victoria Hicks

Fruit Tarte Tatin

This famous upside-down tart starts with caramelized fruit and is topped with a puff-pastry crust. Once inverted, this dessert makes an impressive presentation. Use ripe fruits of the season- it is equally good with plums, pears, or apples.

6 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
5 fresh nectarines or peaches (1 1/2lbs.), halved and pitted
1 Tbs. Amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur (if desired)
1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from a 17.25 oz. package), thawed

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a 10-inch heavy ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar. Cook and stir until sugar is melted and mixture is golden brown. Remove skillet from heat. Decoratively arrange fruit cut side up on caramel. Drizzle with liqueur, if using.

On a lightly floured work surface unfold pastry and roll into a 10×14-inch rectangle. With a sharp large knife, cut out a 10-inch square and arrange over fruit, tucking in corners. Bake tart 20 to 25 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Immediately invert a heat-proof rimmed serving plate over skillet. Keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert tart onto plate. Serve warm.

—Hambleton Hall Guest House, Oakham, England

Shopping List:

Grocery:
4 Tbs. olive oil
10 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from a 17.25-oz. package)
2 cups vegetable stock
4 to 6 thick slices soft-texture bread

Produce:
1 medium onion
1 green bell pepper
2 heads garlic
12 ripe tomatoes (about 4_ lbs.)
1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 fresh nectarines or peaches (1_ lbs.)
2 limes
12 fresh sorrel leaves
3 mangoes

BIN Bulk:
Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 cup sugar
1 bay leaf

Meat:
3 lbs. trimmed boneless sirloin steak, about 1_ inches thick

Cheese Shop:
Parmesan cheese

Wine & Spirits:
Red wine such as Barolo, Zinfandel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon
1 Tbs Amaretto or other almond-flavored liqueur (if desired)